Patrik Berger in first visit to Africa, wants Nigerian kids to play for Liverpool

Former Liverpool midfielder, Patrik Berger, could not hide his joy after meeting with some Nigerian young footballers in Lagos on Saturday as part of his two-day tour of the city.

Berger, popularly called ‘the Bomb’ in his playing days, was visiting Africa for the first time.

He told journalists at a dinner organised by Standard Chartered Bank, the official sponsors of Liverpool, that his visit to Nigeria was rewarding.

“I am so excited to meet with those kids of between seven and 17 years. They are wonderful children. I saw great talent in some of them, and I would love to see one or two of them play for the Super Eagles and Liverpool very soon,” he stated at the event held in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Berger, a Czech, said: “Specifically, I came to Nigeria to have a training session with the children.

There are so many Michael Owens around the world and it will be great we have one from Nigeria. I thank Standard Chartered for this Expedia tour.”

He described former Nigerian star, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, as one of the greatest African footballers ever.

“I played with Yakubu at Portsmouth and I must say he is one of the greatest African players I ever met. He is so strong, played with passion and he usually crack jokes with us on our way to training.”

Berger started his career in his own country with Slavia Prague and spent a season in Germany playing for Borussia Dortmund. He moved to England in 1996, where he spent seven years with Liverpool, winning four trophies.

Asked if he will join other of his colleagues in the coaching business, Berger said: “No, I will never go into coaching because the job is too demanding. I will rather continue with my fishing business and also inspire young children who are interested in playing football.”

S